Sugar
According to 2015 Statistics Canada report, children between the ages of 2 to 8 were getting 101 grams of sugar a day, which is equal to a whopping 24 teaspoons of sugar a day. The recommended amount for children between ages 2 and 18 is 25 grams or 5 teaspoons. That is a lot of extra sugar. So while a gram or two in a supplement may not seem like a lot, it all adds up. Children under 2 years of age should not be consuming sugar, aside from sugar found in whole fruits.
Dental decay, obesity, acne, and mood disorders are known side effects of consuming sugar. It seems counterproductive to give your child something to improve nutritional status and then load it with sugar. Consuming sugar can inhibit or block the absorption of vitamin C, vitamin D3, potassium, and magnesium.
KidStar uses stevia, inulin, and xylitol to sweeten our products when necessary.
Why We Don’t Use Sugar
Health Risks Linked to Excess Sugar Intake:
- Type 2 diabetes
- Obesity
- Acne
- Tooth decay
- Heart disease
- Certain cancers
- Increased inflammation
- Mood disorders
What to Avoid
Sugar can be listed on an ingredients list in different ways:
- Agave Nectar/Syrup
- Barley malt
- Beet sugar
- Blackstrap molasses
- Brown rice syrup
- Cane juice crystals
- Cane sugar
- Caramel
- Carob syrup
- Castor sugar
- Coconut sugar
- Confectioner’s sugar
- Corn syrup
- Crystalline fructose
- Date sugar
- Demerara sugar
- Dextrin
- Dextrose
- Diastatic malt
- Ethyl maltol
- Evaporated cane juice
- Florida crystals
- Fructose
- Fruit juice concentrate
- Galactose
- Glucose
- Glucose syrup solids
- Golden syrup
- Grape sugar
- High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
- Honey
- Lactose
- Malt syrup
- Maltodextrin
- Maltose
- Maple syrup
- Molasses
- Muscovado sugar
- Panela sugar
- Raw sugar
- Refiner’s syrup
- Rice syrup
- Sorghum syrup
- Sucanat
- Sucrose
- Treacle
- Turbinado sugar